The US State Department has accused Russia of using chemical weapons against Ukrainian forces and issued sanctions on three Russian government entities associated with Russia’s chemical and biological weapons programs and four Russian companies that have contributed to such entities.


The US accused Russia of using "the chemical weapon chloropicrin against Ukrainian forces" in violation of the Chemical Weapons Act. 


Washington further charged that Moscow has used "riot control agents (tear gas) as a method of warfare in Ukraine, also in violation of the CWC." 


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Additionally, the US also issued sanctions against more than 280 individuals and entities for its "foreign aggression" and "internal repression". 


In a statement, the US Department of State said: "In this action, the Department of State is imposing sanctions on more than 80 entities and individuals, including those engaged in the development of Russia’s future energy, metals, and mining production and export capacity; sanctions evasion and circumvention; and furthering Russia’s ability to wage its war against Ukraine."


The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has chloropicrin as a banned choking agent. The Hague-based OPCW was created to implement and monitor compliance with the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). 


The chemical weapon's first use dates back to World War I when German forces fired the gas against Allied troops. 


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In addition to chloropicrin, the Russian forces have used grenades loaded with CS and CN gases, says the Ukrainian military, as per a report by Reuters. The Ukrainian military has claimed that at least 500 of its soldiers have been treated for exposure to toxic substances while one was killed by suffocating on tear gas. 


While civilians can usually escape the riot control gases during a protest, soldiers stuck in trenches without gas masks must either flee under enemy fire or risk suffocating.


In its statement, the US Department said it was delivering to Congress its determination that Russia's use of chloropicrin against Ukrainian troops violated the CWC.